Figure toy



Feb. 7, 1928. 1,658,054

J. G. LEVY FIGURE TOY Original Filed Oct. 28, 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1-

Feb. 7, 1928.

J. G. LEVY FIGURE TOY 's Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed 001;. 28. 1922 J, G. LEVY Feb. 7, 1928.

FIGURE TOY Original Filed 00:. 28, 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 1923.

warren STATES JULES G. LEVY, OF NEW YORK, Y.

FIGURE TOY.

Application filed October 28, 1922, Serial No. 597,462.

This invention relates to mechanica-l toys and has for its prlncipai object the provision of a novel, interesting toy which is durable and simple in construction so that it may be easily operated by a child.

More particularly, this invention relates to mechanical toys wherein a figure may be made to perform an act repeatedly with but a single actuation of an operating motor.

79 In the present instance the toy includes a baseball batter adapted to strike repeatedly at balls which are fed by the device into operative position in succession. It is a, further object of this invention therefore to provide a device of the kind described wherein the parts are so coordinated that a batter swings repeatedly and a ball is fed into operative position in advance of each swing of the batter.

A further object of this invention is the provision of suitable means for winding up the motor and for controlling the starting and stopping thereof at will.

Other objects and aims of the invention more or less broad than. those stated above, together with the advantages inherent, will be in part obvious and in part specifically referred to in the course of the following description ofthe elements, combinations, arrangements of parts, and application of principles constituting'the invention; and the scope of protection contemplatedwill appear from the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as part of this specification, and in which I have shown merely a preferred embodiment of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view showing the parts in a different position.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section through the toy figure.

Fig.5 is a bottom plan view of the device.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 77 of Fig. 5. I Fig. 8 is a partial sectionon the line 88 Fig. 9 is a group perspective of some of the parts shown in Figs. 5 to 8. I

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the actuating 5 lever.

Renewed November 19, 1927.

Fig. 11 is a section on the line 1111 of Fig. 6..

Referring tothe drawings there is shown a base 11 in the form of a hollow rectangle having a top and sides, the latter preferably being curl-ed at their exposed edges as at 12 to stiffen the structure. Upon the top of the base at one end I secure a figure 13 in the present instance of a baseball batter made of several properly formed and cut-out pieces of sheet metal in a well-known manner. In my invention I make the figure in two parts'divided at the waist, the lower portion of the body and legs 13 beingsolidly fastened to the base by means of tan-gs or ears 1 4, and the upper part 15 including the head being revolubly mounted upon a spindle 16 extending downward'through the leg portion and journaled in the base 11.

The body portion carries a pair of arms 17 which extend forward and downward in front of the figure to a point substantially at the waistline where they are joined into a slightly tapering cylinder intended to represent a baseball bat 17 The'spindle 16 is preferably of square cross-section and extends through round, holes in a pair of bridges 18 and 19 near the top of the leg portion 13, which bridges serve as bearings, and into a square hole in a bridge 20 near the bottom of body portion 15. All of these bridges are secured in place by means of tangs 21 extending through slots'cut in the sheet metal of which the figure is composed. The. square hole in bridge 20 fits the square spindle closely so that if the spindle is rotated, the body portion 15 will rotate with it. This rotation is limited in one direction bymeans of afinger 22 extending downwardly from bridge 20' and engaging a fixed stop 23 integral with bridge 19. A coil spring 24 surrounding the spindle tends to keep finger 22 normally in engagement with stop 23. Bridges 19 and 20 are so shaped as to form a bearing surface for the rotatable portion 15 of the figure, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4., The lower end of spindle 16 after it enters the base 11 is bent at right angles to form a crank arm 25 adapted to beoperated by mechanism to be hereinafter described.

Inside of the base 11, beneaththe figure 13, is secured a frameworkcomposed of two suitably bent pieces of sheet metal 26 and 27, the first of which is rigidly fastened to the under side of base 11 by tangs 28, and the second is secured to the piece 26 by tangs 29.

For actuating the figure 13 there is provided a short shaft journaled in piece 27 and surrounded by and kept under tension by a clock spring enclosed in a circular casing 41 between the frame 26 and 'the under side of base 11, the spring being fixed at one end, to casing 41 and at the other end to shaft 35. The casing 41 carries teeth 42 cut in adepending flange thereon, and these teeth engage a pinion 43 on a short square shaft 44 extending from a downwardly turned lip 45 on the frame 26 to a point er:- terior of the base 11 as at 46. A banjoshaped frame 47 is placed just inside of the depending side of the base 11 and held in, place by being journaled on the shaft 44 with the tail 48 secured to said depending side by a tang 49 punched out of the metal of thebase. This frame 47 has two ears 50 at right angles thereto forming bearings for an escapement pawl 51 having an extension 52 carrying a weight 53. The pawl also has bent-in detents 54 and 55 engaging at diametrically opposite sides of an escapement wheel 56 mounted on the shaft 44. A lock in the form of a bent wire 57 is placed on the side of the base and has a tail piece 53 which may be turned down to engage the extension 52 of the escapeinent pawl. and prevent operation of the device.

The piece 27 encloses a spool 30 on which is wound a cord 31 secured at one end to the spool and passing outside the casing where it may be provided with a knot 32 to prevent slip-ping back. An eyelet 33 in the piece 27 and an eyelet 34 in the base 11 may be provided to prevent chafing or cutting of the cord 31. v The spool 30 is mounted upon the short shaft 35 with which it connects through a pawl and ratchet (not shown) so to rotate in one direction and prevent rotation of the shaft in the other direction, a

In order to operate the mechanism by the rotation of casing 41, there is journaled in a pairzof ears 59 punched out of the metal of the base 11, an actuating lever 60 formed of wire in substantially the form of a right angle, having a straight leg 61, a second leg forced up out of the plane of leg 61 but lying in a plane parallel thereto, and a'short crank arm 63 at the opposite end of leg 61. The crank arm 63 overlies the top of casing 41 of the clock spring 40 and the surface of the casing cut out and punched up to form a cam surface 64 adapt ed to operate the actuating lever 60 upon rotation of the ising 41. A linger is also punched up out of the top surface of casing 41 to engage the end 25 of spindle16, as will be seen in Fig. 11. its the spindle -16 and shaft 35 are not concentric, the finger 65 will only carry the spindle around part way when it will let go and the spring 24 will return the spindle to its normal position. Anoscillatory movement of the upper portion 15 of figure 13 is thus obtained, simulating the swinging n'ioveinents of a batter,

On the opposite end of base 11 from the figure 13 there is erected a short tube 66 carrying on its top a cup 67 the bottom of which carries a spiral depr ssion running froma high point 68 adjacent the rim of the cup to a low point 69 near the center. The tube 66 encloses a second tube 70 which is slidable therein and the top ofwhich is serrated, as at 71, the serrations icing bentinwardly and downwardly to form a cupshaped depression. The opposite end of tube 70 extends downwardly through the base 11 and is bifurcated as at '12 the end 62 of lever 60. A spring T3 tends to keep the tube 70 elevated, but as the lever 60 is operated by the crank arm 63 and cam 64 the end 62 of the lever depressed and the tube 70 drops of its own weight until the cup-shaped end 71 on a level with, or slightly below, the depression 69. The cam 64 and projection 65 are so positioned that tube 70 will be raised just before the batter starts his swinging, or batting, movement.

to straddle The operation of my invention is as follows: The operator first turns down the lock :57 to prevent any movement until he is ready, and then grasps the knot on the end of cord-31 and pulls it out one or more times to place the clock spring 40 under tensionu He then places one or more balls 74 of wood, rubber, celluloid or the like-in the cup 6'? and they naturally gravitate downwards ,to the point 69. He then turns up the lock 57 and the device begins to operate; The spring 40, in unwinding, turns the ms ing 41 and causes linger-65 to engage end 25 of spindle 16, turning the spindleand with it the upper part 15 of the figure to a point about where shown in F g. 1; hleanwhile the cam 64 has operated the lever 60, permitting the tube 70 to drop until he lowermost of the balls 74 drops into the cup-shaped end of the tube, the tube and ball being then raised to a height above the rim of cup 67 and into the path of bat 17 When the finger rotates out of the path of end25 of the saindle' the sorin 24: causes the uboer l l e i portion of the figure 13 to swing around rapidly in the direction of'the arrow in Fig. 1 to a point .slightly past the cup 67, whereupon the stops 22, 23 "ill arrest its movement. The hat I? passing over the endof tube will, (at course strike the ball with a degree of force depending upon the tension of the spring 24. The operation'is then repeated, and all the operator has to do is to keep a supply of balls in the cup 67. The escapement mechanism 42 to 56 will prevent too rapid unwinding of the spring 40.

While the invention has been described in connection with a particular toy mechanism, it will be understood that it may be employed whenever it is desired to operate a reciprocating or oscillating member repeatedly and to feed aseries of objects successively into cooperative relation with said reciprocating or oscillating member. IVhile the above description illustrates. the principles embodied in my invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined by the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a figure having a fixed lower portion and an oscillatory upper portion having an extension, a motor, connections between said motor and upper portion whereby said motor oscillates said upper portion, a reciprocable holder, means for feeding a plurality of objects one at a time to said holder, and means whereby said holderis reciprocated to stationarily support a single object in the path of movement of said extension.

2. In combination, a figure having a fixed lower portion and an oscillatory upper portion having an extension, means for oscillat ing said upper portion repeatedly, a reciprocable holder, means for feeding a plurality of objects one at a time to said holder, and means for reciprocating said holder repeatedly to support one of the objects in the path of movement of said extension before each oscillation.

3. In combination, an oscillatory member, means for oscillating said member repeatedly, a reciprocable holder adapted to be raised and lowered, means for feeding a plurality of objects one at a time to said holder when in lowered position, means for mov ing said holder into raised position to move an. object into the path of said member before each oscillation, and means for rendering said last-named means periodically ineffective to permit said holder to be lowered.

at. In combination, an oscillatory member,

to be raised and lowered, means for feeding a plurality of objects one at a time to said holder when said holder is in lowered position, means for moving said holder into raised position to move an object into the path of said member before each oscillation, and means whereby said motor renders said last-named means periodically ineffective to permit said holder to be lowered.

5. In combination, an oscillatory member, means for oscillating said member repeatedly, a reciprocable holder adapted to be raised and lowered, a cup-shaped member surrounding said holder for feeding a plurality of objects one at a time to said holder when in lowered position, means for moving said holder into raised positionv to move an object into the path of said member before each oscillation, and means for rendering said last-named means periodically ineifec' tive to permit said holder to be lowered.

6. In combination, an oscillatory member,

means for oscillating said member repeatedly, areciprocable holder adapted to be raised and lowered, a cup-shaped member surrounding said holder and having a spiral feeding groove therein terminating at said holder for feeding a plurality of objects one at a time to said holder when in lowered position, means for moving said holder into raised position to move an object into the path of said member before each oscillation, and means for rendering said last-named means periodically ineffective to permit said holder to be lowered.

7. In a mechanical toy, in combination, a

motor, a figure having a fixed-lower portion and a horizontally rotatable upper portion,

means whereby said motor oscillates said up 7 per portion, said upper portion having an extension, a receptacle adjacent said figure for containing a'plurality of objects and means associated with said receptacle for feeding the objects one at a time into the path of movement of said extension.

8. In a mechanical toy, in combination, a motor, a figure havinga fixed lower portion and a rotatable upper portion, means whereby said motor oscillates said upper portion, said upper portion having an extension, means controlled by said motor for feeding a plurality of objects one at a time into the path of said extension, and means for cone 7 ated feeding means having operative relation With said operative mechanism for teeding the ObJGCiZS at a definite tuned relation into the path of movement of the striker before each striking action. I

10.111 combination, a figure having a fixed lower portion and an oscillating upper portion having a striker extension, a motor, connections between said motor and said upper portion whereby said motor ostive connection With the motor for "feeding the objects one at a time from the receptacle into the path of movement of said striker extension before each striking action.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JULES e. LEVY; 

